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TILLINGTIPS & TECHNIQUES
Tilling Depths
WAHNINL_: Before
tilling, contact your
telephoneor utilities
companyand inquire if
undergroundequipment or
lines are usedonyour
property. Donottill near
buriedelectric cables,
telephonelines, pipesor
hoses.
• Avoidpushingdown onthehandlebarsinan attemptto forcethe tiller to dig deeper.Doing
sotakestheweightoff thepoweredwheels,causingthemto losetraction.Withoutthewheels
helpingto holdthetiller back,thetineswill attemptto propelthetiller- oftencausingthetiller
to skip rapidlyacrosstheground. (Sometimes,slight downwardpressureonthe handlebars
will helpgetthrougha particularlytoughsectionof sodor unbrokenground,butin mostcases
this won't benecessary.)
• Avoidtrying todigtoo deeplytoo quickly,especiallywhenbustingsodorwhentilling soilthat
hasn'tbeentilledfor sometime.Useshallowdepthregulatorsettings(onlyan inchor two
deep)for thefirst passesthroughthesoil.Witheachsucceedingpass,diganotherinchortwo
deeper.(Wateringtheareaafew daysprior to tilling will maketilling easier,aswill letting the
newlyworkedsoil setfor a dayor two beforemakinga final, deeptilling pass.)
• Whencultivating(breakingup surfacesoil aroundplantsto destroyweeds,seeFig.4-9), adjustthetinesto dig only1"to 2" deep.Using
shallowtilling depthshelpspreventinjury toplantswhose rootsoftengrowclosetothesurface,ifneeded,lift up onthehandlebarsslightly
to preventthetinesfrom diggingtoo deeply.(Cultivatingon a regularbasisnotonlyeliminatesweeds,it alsoloosensandaeratesthesoil
for bettermoistureabsorptionandfaster plantgrowth.)
ChoosingCorrectWheel & TineSpeeds With experience,you will find the "just right" tilling depthandtilling speedcombination
that is bestfor yourgarden.
Settheenginethrottleleverata speedto givetheengineadequatepowerandyetallowit tooperateattheslowestpossiblespeed...atleast
until youhaveachievedthe maximumtilling depthyoudesire.Fasterenginespeedsmaybe desirablewhenmakingfinal passesthrough
theseedbedor whencultivating.Selectionofthecorrectenginespeed,in relationtothetilling depth,will ensurea sufficientpowerlevelto
do thejobwithout causingtheenginetolabor.
Letthe Tiller Dothe Work
Whiletilling, relaxandletthewheelspullthe
tiller along while the tines do the digging.
Walkon thesidethat is notyet finished(to
avoidmakingfootprints in thefreshlytilled
soil) and lightly,but securelygrip the han-
dlebarwith just onehand.
AvoidMakingFootprints
Wheneverpossible, walk on the untilled
sideoftheunitto avoidmakingfootprints in
your freshly tilled or cultivated soil. Foot-
prints causesoil compactionthat canham-
per root penetrationand contributeto soil
erosion. They can also "plant" unwanted
weed seeds back into the freshly tilled
ground.
AvoidTilling Soggy,Wet Soil
Tilling wet soil often resultsin large,hard
clumpsof soil that caninterferewith plant-
ing.if time permits,wait a dayor two after
heavyrainsto allow the soil to dry before
tilling. Testsoil bysqueezingit intoa ball.if
itcompressestoo easily,it is toowet to till.
Preparing Seedbeds
• Whenpreparingaseedbed,go overthesamepathtwiceinthefirst row,thenover-
lapone-halfthetiller width ontherest ofthepasses(seeFig.6).Whenfinishedin
onedirection,makea secondpassata rightangle,as shownin Fig.4-7. Overlap
eachpassfor best results(invery hardground,it maytakethreeor four passesto
thoroughlypulverizethesoil.)
• if thegardensizewill not permitlengthwiseandthencrosswisetilling,thenover-
lapthefirst passesbyone-halfatiller
width,followedbysuccessivepasses ....................v .................................
at one-quarterwidth (seeFig.4-8). _ _
Fig. 4-8
Fig. 4-6 Fig.4-7
Cultivating
With planning, you can ==.._Vp. ==_._V_
allow enoughroom _" _ (_
betweenrows to cultivate _ _
(seeFig.4-9). Leaveroom _ _
for the hood width,
plus enough extra _ _'_'
roomfor future plant Fig.4-9
growth.
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